Baked Goods That Taste As Good As They Look

September 2011

09/27/2011

Two things that taste great together: Crispy Fried Bacon and Sweet Maple Syrup. I took both of these great tastes and added them to a delicious baked donut for a different and tasty treat! Baked donuts have a moist, cake-like consistency that easily lends itself to may different toppings.

I whipped up a simple Maple Glaze to dip the donuts in and then fried up some crispy bacon to crumble over the top of the glaze: Maple Bacon Donuts. The combinations of the sweet maple syrup and the salty fried bacon are the perfect, albeit unusual, topping that any bacon lover is sure to enjoy. Here is how you can make your own:

You can find the entire recipe for the donuts here. Start by spraying a regular size donut pan with Pam and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (I prefer 400 degrees although the recipe calls for 425 degrees).

Batter:

I followed the donut batter recipe as written except that I added a teaspoon of maple flavoring along with the vanilla extract. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, vegetable oil and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and beat to combine. Beat in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of maple flavoring. Add the flour and the milk, alternating between the two until all is combined. Transfer batter to a piping bag and pipe the batter into the prepared donut pan. Alternately, spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan if you don't want to use a piping bag. Bake the donuts for around 9-10 minutes or until golden brown on top. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Bacon:

While donuts are cooling, cook some bacon, around 6 to 12 pieces depending on how much bacon you want on your donuts! I cook my bacon in the microwave on a plate covered in paper towels: 6 minutes for 6 pieces or 12 minutes for 12 pieces. Let bacon cool before chopping into small pieces. Set aside.

Maple Glaze:

For this simple glaze mix 1 cup of maple syrup & 2 teaspoons maple flavoring into 4 cups powdered sugar until a thick glaze forms. I mixed my glaze in a measuring cup to make it easier to dunk the donuts.

Assembly:

After donuts have cooled completely, dunk the tops and sides of each donut into the glaze and transfer to wire rack. After you have dunked two or three donuts, sprinkle the bacon pieces over the top of the glaze. Repeat on the rest of the donuts. Serve immediately or let glaze set up for 15 minutes before storing. This recipe will make around 18 regular size donuts.

09/20/2011

Usually I like a moist and dense cookie but sometimes its good to shake things up a little and these delicious Salty Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies fit the bill. These cookies bake up thin, flat, crispy and crunchy with lots of oatmeal, a touch of brown sugar and light topping of sea salt for a slight, yet surprising contrast of flavor.

The great thing about these cookies is that, when properly stored, they retain their crispy texture for days after baking! I can say that these cookies are so addictive and tasty that I may have to try some other crispy cookie recipes! Here is how you can make your own.

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until completely combined. Scrape down bowl.

Add the flour and mix until smooth. With the mixer running on low, add the oatmeal and beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl and mix with spatula to make sure no pockets of flour remain.

Scoop dough out into roughly 2 Tablespoons of dough.

I used a #50 scoop. Place dough balls on baking sheet, six balls per sheet. Press down each ball to around 3/4 inch thick. Top with a sprinkle of sea salt and bake for 13 to 16 minutes until the cookies are browned and the edges look crisp.

Hint: Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet for crunchier cookies. Store in an air tight container. Cookies should remain crisp and delicious for days!

09/13/2011

I love coffee cake! When I came across this ingenious recipe for Coffee Cake Cookies I was all over it! These cookies are a treat with a moist, soft cake-like texture, warm, spicy cinnamon and dark brown sugar topped off with a nutty crunch of toasted pecan streusel! Love, Love, Love!

Easy to make and so delicious, I had to up the ante and made each of my cookies a decadent full 4" diameter by scooping up the dough with a traditional ice cream scoop and baking for around 16 minutes. Whether you prefer smaller cookies or bigger bakery-style cookies like me, these cookies are sure to please and are perfect for the season. Here is how you can make your own.

You can find the entire recipe here. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment or Silpat on baking sheet and set aside.

Pecan Streusel: Toast the pecans on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and slightly browned. Watch nuts carefully as they can burn very quickly. Set nuts aside to cool, then chop. Place chopped nuts in bowl with dark brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and melted butter. Mix well, divide into two equal portions and set aside.

Cookie Dough: Carefully brown butter in large saucepan over medium high heat until lightly browned and nutty smelling. Be careful not to over brown butter as it goes from brown to burnt very quickly. Place browned butter into a bowl and let cool slightly. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together the egg, dark brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth and glossy. Beat in the sour cream, cream cheese, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined. Add the cooled browned butter and beat to combine. Add the flour and 1/2 of the Pecan Streusel and mix until just combined. Scoop out dough with desired size scoop (I used a regular ice cream scoop) and place on prepared baking pan. If you are making the large size cookies, evenly space 4 balls of dough per baking sheet. Place around 1 to 2 teaspoons of remaining Pecan Streusel onto the top of each dough ball, pressing down with your hand to adhere streusel to the dough. Bake for 10-12 minutes for smaller size cookies, or around 16 minutes for large size cookies. Bake until cookies are golden brown on the edges and puffed up. Cool on wire rack. Store cookies in sealed container, they stay moist and delicious for days.

09/06/2011

My friend Georgia makes a lemon pound cake that is quite famous. Friends are always asking for the recipe after tasting this tart yet sweet lemony pound cake. She recalls that she originally got the recipe from Sur La Table but I can't find it on their website so I will include the recipe here with a few changes that I added to increase the lemon flavor a bit. If you like a less lemon flavor, feel free to leave them out.

Make sure you have a Bundt pan large enough to accommodate the large amount batter! I used this 12 cup Kaiser Bundt pan and the cake baked up to just the edge with no spillage. The lemon simple syrup brushed over the warm cake adds lots of flavor and helps to keep the cake moist. The addition of a simple lemon glaze drizzled over the cooled cake adds more tart lemon flavor and a nice decorative touch. Here is how you can make your own.

Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake (adapted from Sur La Table & Georgia)

Batter

• 3 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

• 3 cups granulated sugar

• 6 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon lemon extract (I added this for extra flavor)

• Grated zest of 2 lemons

• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I added this for extra flavor)

Lemon Simple Syrup

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (I added this for extra flavor)

Lemon Glaze

• lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

• powdered sugar

Start by spraying a 12 cup Bundt pan with Pam for Baking (or you can butter and flour the pan). Set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar until fluffly. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Beat in the extracts and the zest. On low speed add the flour alternating with the sour cream, in three additions. Beat in the lemon juice until batter is smooth. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours until a wood skewer inserted in the center of cake comes out clean.

Lemon Simple Syrup: While cake is baking, combine lemon juice, sugar, water, zest and lemon extract in a small sauce pan set over medium high heat. Bring mixture a boil and cook until reduced down to approximately 1/2 cup of syrup, around 15 minutes. Let syrup cool before brushing onto warm cake.

Lemon Glaze: While cake is cooling on rack, in a small bowl add lemon juice by the Tablespoon full to around 1 cup of powdered sugar until a thick glaze comes together. I also added a little lemon extract for extra flavor. Drizzle the glaze over the cool cake. Let glaze set up for around 10 minutes before cutting cake. Store in a airtight container on the counter.